Sri padmanabha swami temple
Padmanabha Swami Temple is situated inside the Fort of Thiruvananthapuram. It is the state temple of erstwhile Travancore. The main deity of this temple is Lord Vishnu, who according to the Hindu mythology is the supreme power which controls this universe. The capital city got its name Thiruananthapuram or the place where Lord Vishnu reclines on the sacred serpent Anantha, from this temple.

The idol inside the sanctum santorum is in the form of the Lord reclining on the Holy Serpent Anantha. It is an 18 feet long imposing figure built with Salagrama stones brought from Nepal and it is covered with gold and precious stones.
There are many festivals related to this temple. The major festivals are bi-annual. The Alpashy festival which is in October/November and the Painkuni festival which is in March/April, lasts for 10 days each. These festivals culminate with the Aarat (holy bath) procession to the Shankumugham Beach. The word Aarat refers to the purificatory immersion of the deities of the temple in sea. This event takes place in the evening. The King of Travancore escorts the Aarat procession by foot. The idols of Sri Padmanabhaswamy, Krishna and Narasimha are given a ritual bathe in the sea, after the prescribed poojas. After this ceremony, the idols are taken back to the temple as a procession in the light of traditional torches, marking the conclusion of the festival.

A major annual festival related to Padmanabha temple is the Navaratri festival. The idols of Saraswathi, Durga, and Murukan are brought to the kuthira malika palace in front of Padmanabha temple as a procession. This festival lasts for 9 days. The famous Swathi music festival is held every year during this festival.

Big Idol of Pandavas displayed during Painkuni festival
The biggest festival in this temple is laksha deepam, which means hundred thousand (or one lakh) lamps. This festival is unique and commences once in 6 years. Prior to this festival, chanting of prayers and recitation of three vedas is done for 56 days. On the festival time, hundred thousand oil lamps are lit in and around the temple premises. The next laksha deepam is slated on January 2008.

Address

Sreepadmanabhaswami temple, Trivandrum, Kerala, India.
article courtesy : wikipedia